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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129504">And The Sun Shone Bright</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemini28/pseuds/gemini28'>gemini28</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Happy Tree Friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - 1950s, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Humanizations, Mystery, Psychological Horror, basically every character shows up here</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 03:00:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,987</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129504</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemini28/pseuds/gemini28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sergeant Philip Morrison just wants peace and quiet. Why else would he move up to the quiet, lonely town of Foreborough except to be alone? But life has far more than calm in store for him, and the town has more strangeness hidden just below the surface than he ever could imagine. He'll have to work against forces beyond his reckoning if he wants to come out the other side sane and whole.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Newcomer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Long bus rides can sometimes be therapeutic. Staring out the window, only having to focus on how many stops you have until your next rest, listening to the soft lull of conversation around you...It can be nice. On the other hand, it can be the absolute most hellish experience if your mind isn’t in the right place. </p>
<p>The latter position is where Philip Morrison finds himself. </p>
<p>He used to find bus rides enjoyable. A time to spend with friends and family, to enjoy the passing scenery and fall asleep after a while. But right now all he can do is stare out the window blankly and try to avoid any lines of thought that’ll lead him down a familiar dark road. There’s not a whole lot- His mind is more or less a minefield right now, just waiting for him to think about the wrong thing and make his day indescribably worse. </p>
<p>Even thinking about where he’s headed isn’t that soothing. </p>
<p>Foreborough. The name is unwelcoming, and it’s in the middle of dreary Washington. But it’s the only place he found that was far away enough from his hometown that he felt comfortable knowing no one would know him there… And the fact that it was <em> criminally </em>cheap to buy a small house didn’t hurt, either. But it’s something of a double-edged sword...Not knowing anyone there means that he’s going to go in completely blind. </p>
<p>He’s been trying to cheer up and convince himself that he’s going to be fine, but it’s not really working all that well. Honestly his luck has long since left him. </p>
<p>The bus jolts to a stop and Philip nearly bashes his head into the seat in front of him. For a moment he wonders if something’s wrong with the bus, if it’s going to take them all even longer to get to the town, but no. One glance outside shows a large sign:</p>
<p>Foreborough </p>
<p>Righteous in duty</p>
<p>Population: 630 </p>
<p>“...What a weird motto.” Philip stands up carefully, worried that the bus might start moving again and he’ll really embarrass himself in front of- </p>
<p>...Hm. Actually it looks like he’s the only one left on the bus. Strange. It was full when he first got on for sure, that’s why he ended up sitting in the back. He didn’t expect the town to be so out of the way that no one else is interested in going there. </p>
<p>As he walks towards the front, the bus driver waves. </p>
<p>“Glad t’see you’re up, sonny! I was gettin’ worried by how long you were sleepin’!” The older man seems genuinely cheerful, and Philip ignores the pang he feels about his accent. It’s probably the last time he’s going to hear anything like home for a while… “Are you gonna need any help gettin’ your things?” </p>
<p>“Oh, no I should be fine. Thank you, though.” He smiles at him and steps off the bus. The cool air of autumn hits him and despite everything he’s been dealing with, he feels refreshed. No wonder people always talked about how nice it was to spend vacations up here. </p>
<p>He grabs his two bags from under the bus and watches it roll away with no fanfare. He’s moved around a lot before, part of the life of an army brat, but...Never by himself. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment, focusing on the light sounds coming from the forest. It’ll be alright. He’s going to have a nice time, and make friends, and be able to relax here. There’s nothing to worry about. </p>
<p>With that he opens his eyes and steps past the sign into the boundary of the town. </p>
<p>The moment he does the sounds of the forest seem to cut off. Philip looks around but there’s nothing he can see that’s out of the ordinary. In fact everything looks the same it’s just the sound that’s been cut off, like a radio suddenly cutting out. He turns back towards the road, frowning a little. </p>
<p>Just as he’s about to walk back onto the road and test to see if the sound comes back, he hears soft laughter behind him. He whips around, dropping his bags as he goes and very nearly decks the poor young woman who’s standing there. </p>
<p>“Ah!” He jolts back just in time, and stares more than is strictly polite. “I-I’m sorry. You startled me.” </p>
<p>The girl in front of him looks to be about...sixteen? No, maybe a bit older. She has medium brown skin and her dress is a golden yellow, but the most striking things about her are her hair and eyes. Her hair is a warm, deep pink. And for a moment he thinks that her eyes are matching it somehow, but shakes that off as a trick of the light. Still, the pink...He didn’t know that there was hair dye that could manage such a color so well. </p>
<p>“Oh, gosh, that’s okay! I didn’t mean to sneak up on you!” She says. Her voice is just as bright as the rest of her, and Philip feels himself relaxing. “I’m Aimee! You must be Mr. Morrison, right?” </p>
<p>“...I am.” He says, but can’t help but to grimace. “Please, call me Philip. Mr. Morrison makes me sound so old…” </p>
<p>“Alright!” Aimee smiles at him and gives a little cursey. It’s adorable. “It’s great to meet you! You’ve been the talk of the town ever since you bought the house. I was sent out here to greet you when you got here!” </p>
<p>“All alone?” Philip picks his bags up and is relieved to hear the sounds of the forest again as he does. Maybe he just lost his hearing for a minute there. That makes sense. “Isn’t it dangerous?” </p>
<p>“Haha, here? No way! If you stay in the town limits, there’s nothing dangerous.” Aimee smiles and turns, gesturing for him to follow. “Come on! I’m supposed to show you to your house!” </p>
<p>Her excitement is so contagious that Philip can’t help but to smile. He walks after her as she practically skips along the path to the town, and tries his best not to think about how the laughter he heard earlier was most distinctly male. </p>
<p>The town is both exactly what he expected and nothing like what he was prepared for. Everything is just so...cozy. He’s pretty sure he can see the entire town from just a few steps in. He can see a cluster of stores ahead of them, and only a bit further are what look to be houses. It’s quiet, too, with none of the bustle of Louisville. </p>
<p>“It must be so different to what you’re used to, right Philip?” Aimee says. “Sorry it’s so boring!! There’s almost nothing to do here.” </p>
<p>“I don’t mind too much. It’s what I came here for, after all.” He’s quick to assure her. “Besides, I know what it’s like to live in a small town. It’ll be like goin’ back to childhood.” </p>
<p>To her credit, she laughs, and he decides he likes her. For someone who seems to be only old enough to be in highschool at best she has a certain comforting air about her. Nothing like a lot of the kids he’s met in his life. </p>
<p>“We’ll just have to see if you still think that later on!” She says and practically starts skipping down the road. It’s cute. </p>
<p>The town is surprisingly quiet. He would have expected more people to be walking around, but so far he’s only seen movement inside a diner and what looks to be a general store. For a place that claims to have over 500 people, he sure doesn’t see any of them. </p>
<p>“Is it a holiday here or something?” He asks. “Or is it just because it’s close to sunset?” </p>
<p>“Oh, no, I think most people are at work, or at the park today.” Aimee taps her chin thoughtfully. “It’s the middle of November, so there’s a little harvest festival taking place. You won’t be able to see anything from the neighborhood, but it goes for a few days!” </p>
<p>Oh. That’s kind of interesting actually. He’s never been to any sort of festival back at home. This is a good way to meet people, right? And since it goes on beyond just today he doesn’t have to worry about the fact that honestly, he feels like he’s about to pass out if he stays awake for any longer. </p>
<p>“I’ll have to think about it. But it sounds nice.” He says honestly. He’s not sure he can handle being around people, but at the same time he <em> wants </em>to be around others so badly. He’s just gotten back from being around people near constantly, after all, he can’t adjust to loneliness that easily. </p>
<p>Thankfully he doesn’t need to keep thinking about it as Aimee leads him into a cul-de-sac. He stares at the street sign for a moment, feeling the fact that he’s moving here finally sink in. There’s just something about seeing the actual, physical sign and not just pictures from the realtor. This is his home for the foreseeable future. No turning back. </p>
<p>He follows Aimee down the street, not purposefully tuning her out. He’s sure she’s saying very many things about the town or about her plans or something, but nerves have gripped him by the throat and he can’t focus on anything but his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Vaguely, he notes that the trees on this street are pines. He hasn’t seen a pine in ages. Well, no, he’s been seeing pines since he entered this state. But he hasn’t exactly been seeing them up close. It’s kind of nice, honestly- They look like they give good shade during the summer. But at the same time they’re a bit much. Aren’t there enough trees surrounding the town as it is? Will he be yelled at if he says that? What if- </p>
<p>“Philip?” </p>
<p>He nearly jumps out of his fucking skin at Aimee’s voice. He’s sure the blush on his face is extremely obvious, but he can’t exactly not feel embarrassed that he got so sucked into his own head in front of someone. </p>
<p>“Sorry. Got a bit distracted.” He gives her what he hopes is a convincing smile. “What were you saying?” </p>
<p>“That’s okay, I know what <em> that’s </em>like.” She says. Somehow...he doubts that. “And, we’re here!” </p>
<p>She gestures wide and Philip looks up at his new house. It’s...nice. Really, when he’d been sent the pictures by the realtor he didn’t think it would look half as nice as it does. People lie all the time, after all, and it wasn’t like he was able to check it ahead of time. </p>
<p>Like the pictures had shown it’s a one story house, painted white and with a neatly trimmed lawn. It looks like it could have come directly from a catalogue from how picturesque it is. And it’s his. That doesn’t make him nervous at all. </p>
<p>“Mr. Morrison?” He turns to see a black woman with a shock of white hair walking up to him, and he can’t help but to stare. She’s definitely not that old, so...Oh. That’s right, Aimee said something about a festival. Maybe hair dying is part of it? He has no idea what they do on this coast. </p>
<p>“That’s me. How can I help you?” He says. She offers out her hand and gives him a warm smile. </p>
<p>“I’m Miss Taylor. The one who sold you the house?” She says, and he has to reign in his surprise. He’d assumed that ‘Taylor’ on the business card had referred to a man, and he’d never talked to her directly on the phone. Only with secretaries. But she’s certainly done her job well so he doesn’t have trouble shrugging off his surprise and taking her hand. She’s got a strong grip. </p>
<p>“Oh! Yes, of course. Nice to meet you.” He says. “You live here in town…?” </p>
<p>“I do. I suppose I’m something of the town’s exclusive realtor.” She laughs a little though Philip doesn’t get the joke. “Oh! Thanks for helping out, Aimee.” </p>
<p>“Of course, Lamby!” She says, before giving a jaunty little wave and bouncing off. Philip has to do a double take at the nickname, but then glances at Miss Taylor again and it clicks pretty fast. Yeah, he can see it. And she doesn’t seem too embarrassed about it which...cute. </p>
<p>“Alright. Here are your keys.” She hands him a ring of keys, and he’s once again struck by how real everything is suddenly seeming. “Like we discussed the house is fully furnished, and if you need any help while you get settled just let me know. Do you still have my card?” </p>
<p>“Uh, yeah-” He says because he’s pretty sure he does. Probably. </p>
<p>“Good! Then you’re all set.” She smiles at him warmly. “And may I say I’m very glad you’ve moved here. I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself.” </p>
<p>He nods and gives her a nervous little smile before watching her start to walk off, her heels clicking oddly loudly in the quiet neighborhood. He feels a bit like he wants to ask her to stay and help him look around the house, but he shakes that off and walks up to his front door. He puts the keys in, takes a deep breath, and opens his house. </p>
<p>Like Miss Taylor said, there’s already furniture here. It’d been one of the important things for his house hunting, because after buying a house there was no way he was going to have the money to buy any himself. And to be honest he’s not even sure what he would have bought. A couch? A bed? He’d probably have ended up sleeping on the floor. </p>
<p>The front door opens immediately into the living room, which is cozy and warmer toned than he’s used to. It’s nice. He shuts the door behind him and takes a few steps inside, trying not to feel too much like a trespasser. </p>
<p>Maybe he needs to do something to take this nervous edge off. How is he supposed to enjoy his newfound life if he’s freaking out every second? He sets down his bags and starts rifling through his backpack, coming up with a small bottle of pills. The last time he’d taken them was before he’d even gotten on the first bus, so it should be fine now, right? Right. </p>
<p>He pops one dry and grimaces a bit at the bitter aftertaste. But it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind. </p>
<p>As if by magic (or the placebo effect) the weight of the day finally hits him and he almost stumbles over when standing back up. Damn. Not gonna make it to “his” bedroom at this rate, although that’s probably for the best. Even half knocked out he isn’t sure he’ll feel too comfortable in a strange bed right away. </p>
<p>Even as he’s feeling exhaustion gnawing at his bones he still moves from room to room, checking every window and door to make sure everything is locked up tight before circling back to the living room and collapsing on the couch. He stares up at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes and frowning. </p>
<p>It’s going to be fine. He’s moved and gotten used to new places before. He’ll get through this like he’s gotten through everything else, and he won’t even remember why he was so worried in the first place. </p>
<p>He drifts off before he realizes it, and if you were to ask him later he’d say that the footsteps he heard were definitely just part of a dream.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Neighborhood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Despite his best attempts otherwise, Philip has been an early riser since the day he joined the army. It isn’t that he wants to wake up early, but rather that he’s never found a way to work around it. That, and his mind often decides to give him such horrifying dreams that going back to sleep is impossible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he wakes up to a still dark house, he can’t remember where he is for a solid minute and has to wrestle with his panic threatening to claw its way out of his chest. By the time he’s managed to remind himself as to where he is and that he’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>safe</span>
  </em>
  <span>, safer than he has been in weeks, he’s covered in sweat. There’s the barest hint of morning light peeking through the blinds, which means it’s probably closer to seven than six now. Nearly an hour of panicking. Great. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gets up slowly, regretting sleeping on the couch as soon as the aches in his joints make themselves known. He might have fit perfectly onto it but he moves so much when he sleeps he’s surprised he didn’t just fall onto the floor. As uncomfortable as it may be it’s looking like he’s going to have to sleep in the master bedroom from now on, if he doesn’t want to be in pain all the time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he walks into the kitchen he’s surprised to hear the low hum of the refrigerator. He hadn’t even noticed that the electricity was turned on yesterday. Lord, he’d been a mess. He hopes neither of the girls minded his spacing out and awkwardness too much. And if they had...well, hopefully he won’t see them any time soon to make things worse. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He picks out a bag of instant coffee from one of his bags and scrounges around in the kitchen until he finds a pot. When Miss Taylor had said the house was fully furnished, he hadn’t expected it to include a lot of pots and pans, bowls, silverware...It seems like a lot. Maybe these are things that were left behind by the previous owners? There’s a lot of mismatched items even just in the kitchen cabinets, and it would make more sense to just buy the same thing in bulk to save money. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stares at the pot as the water starts to heat up. All these things being here has just put a fine point on how strange this property is. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was one thing when he was desperate for a new place to live and found this in the classifieds, offering a nicely sized house for only seven hundred dollars. In truth he’d figured it was a sort of scam- the house would be in disrepair, or it would be a lot smaller than it was advertised as, or something similar. But coming here and finding that not only is it exactly as it appeared but it’s also well filled with things…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It unnerves him. He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop so he can find out that this house is cursed or something, and then finally relax. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Okay, that’s probably asking a bit much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pours the vaguely hot water over the coffee, entirely too tired and impatient to care that it’s not boiling yet. He’s had worse coffee in worse places. It tastes, predictably, horrible but he drinks it all and almost feels like he could actually stay awake for a while now. He doesn’t want to have to go outside today but the fact of the matter is that he did not bring that much food and he’s going to have to go out </span>
  <em>
    <span>eventually</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stares out the window, the light from the morning struggling through the clouds. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What is he doing here? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had so much time to think of this before coming here, so of course it’s only now that he has no way of taking any of this back that it comes up. He could have changed his mind and thought about things when he started looking for places to move to, or when he’d contacted Taylor, or hell, even on the long drive here. But no. Now that there’s no way out, he regrets. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It isn’t that the town doesn’t seem nice, or that he thinks he’ll dislike it. No, it’s entirely about him and how he definitely does not deserve such a nice place to call home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glances down. At some point between starting to think and now, he’s pulled out a cigarette and lit it, and it’s already burning down to his fingers. He grunts and flicks it into the sink. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Damn it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heads to the back door, coffee in hand, determined to enjoy an early morning in a new place and not just spend all his time moody in the house. The chill outside is more biting than it was when he came into town yesterday, and he’s grateful for the vague warmth of the coffee. He can see the treeline from here, but not far beyond it. He hasn’t really thought about how the forests are so different out here. Back home there wasn’t anywhere near the same level of unease of what could be past the tree line. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Philip?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glances over, surprised, and sees Aimee leaning against his fence with a bright smile. She’s wearing a dark green uniform that he assumes is for the local school. It’s got an acorn emblem on the front pocket which, cute. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, miss Aimee. I didn’t think school started so early.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t! Today is a late day anyhow since there’s the festival going on.” She dangles her arms over the fence and he’s struck momentarily by how tall she actually is. Or is she wearing heels again? ...Or maybe he’s just going to have to accept that most teenagers are taller than him. “So I thought I’d offer to show you around town!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...This early?” He glances up at the sky, which is still overcast in that dreary, early morning way. “Will anyone else even be awake?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure! Honestly the morning is the best time in town, since only the shopkeepers and such are awake. Once everyone else starts going around things get annoying.” She sighs dramatically before giving him a bright smile. “So how about it?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sips at his coffee as he thinks. He did want to get to know more about the town, but hadn’t had any concrete plans for it. So what’s the harm? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, why not? It sounds like it could be fun. Just let me go get changed.” He smiles at her obvious excitement and then turns to go back into his house. He hasn’t even started to unpack yet, but he doubts that he should let anyone see him wearing the same thing he travelled in. Digging around is less annoying than starting rumors on the second day in town. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walks out the front door in fresh, non army clothing, and it feels like he’s entered the town for the first time. He still feels a bit like a tourist, but hopefully that will fade as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s go!” Aimee says, and really, she’s so energetic for the morning. He remembers being her age and can’t imagine him being this excited for anything less than a day off. She gestures broadly to the houses around them. “This is, obviously, the neighborhood! Almost everyone in town lives here, and in the one across the street.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Almost everyone, huh?” He looks around. The most surprising thing about the neighborhood is that every house is a little different. He’s used to places like this being cookie cutter and almost identical, but it seems that the people in this town have nothing like that. It puts him at ease, a bit. Like his neighbors aren’t so strange. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes! Um, let’s see,” Aimee lists off on her fingers. “There’s the mayor who lives in the mayor’s house of course, and Russell, and a couple of folks who live in the forest. Other than that we all live in town.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Russell?” He says, and Aimee just shrugs with a broad smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohhh, you’ll know him when you meet him! I shouldn’t spoil the surprise.” She laughs and is off walking ahead of him before he can even ask. Oh well. He can’t argue that it isn’t fun to be surprised by some things. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She leads him out to the end of the street, opposite of the way he originally came in. He glances across the street to the entrance to what seems to be an identical cul-de-sac. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Which side do you live on?” He asks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, across the street!” She says. “It’s really nice because I get to live next to all of my friends. We’ve known each other for just </span>
  <em>
    <span>ages</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it’d be so sad to be away from them!” She sighs, and Philip can’t help but to smile. It’s cute. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How nice.” He says, and then follows her down the street. He can already see a school from here; it’s older and smaller than he was expecting. And it’s the only building like it that he can see around. “There’s only one school?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh huh. There’s not enough kids here that we need another one, and most of us end up dropping out anyhow.” She sounds remarkably casual about that. Philip certainly can’t judge her, though, since he’s the same. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see. That’s a shame. But it is a very small town.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, miniscule! And so boring, too! You’re not gonna find anything interesting here! We don’t even have a movie theater!” She gives him a look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>can you believe it</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he has to resist the urge to tell her that his hometown still doesn’t have a regular theater either. He doesn’t really want her to think he’s more of a country bumpkin than she likely already does, thanks to his accent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So there’s not a lotta things to do here, then?” He asks though he knows the answer. It was one of the reasons he chose this town, after all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really. Unless you like hunting or drinking!” Aimee laughs and Philip glances around as she continues talking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There really aren’t that many buildings in town beyond the houses. But it doesn’t look that empty, because there are also trees creeping into the town that fill up what would be empty space anywhere else. It’s enough that he can’t quite figure out what the building they pass by is until he sees the sign saying “Foreborough Hospital”. It barely looks like one, its outer walls crawling with ivy and only one story on the building he can see. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s the hospital like?” He asks. Aimee pulls a face which is never a good sign.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you get Dr. Fowler you’re fine. But if you see Lester, run.” She says, sounding surprisingly serious. Philip can’t even imagine why he would deal with someone who isn’t a doctor, but then again if this town only has one legal one he can understand the need. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, I understand.” He smiles at her, and just sort of sets that information into the back of his mind. There’s going to be a lot of strange information about this town, and he doesn’t want to forget the important parts. Like, which doctors will kill you during routine practice important. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He continues to follow her, taking in the sights. Between the mayor’s house (a bit creepy, but fine) and her leading him back towards the houses, something from the forest catches his eye. He stops, and takes a step off the sidewalk to get a closer look. But before his foot even hits the grass Aimee is back at his side and taking his arm with surprising strength. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t go over there.” She says, her voice losing all of the bubblegum sweetness from before. He looks down at her and she’s looking directly at him with a cold, serious expression. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Aimee?” He says, politely, and she jolts before letting go of his arm and turning a dark red. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!” She says, flustered, and flaps her hands. “It’s just- That house over there is super dangerous to go near, and we’re warned about it all the time, and last year some of my friends went in and the floor collapsed on them and they were really hurt and-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, it’s okay. I understand.” He smiles at her and relaxes a bit. Her sudden change makes sense if it was something like that. “I won’t go over there, promise. It just happened to catch my eye.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The truth is of course he’s still very curious. But he doesn’t want to be the guy that upset a highschooler because of his need to know. He can just come back later, when Aimee isn’t around, and see what all the fuss is about. He’ll have to do that anyhow, since learning information through a teenager’s point of view is pretty useless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He lets himself be led back on the path, and just as they’re arriving at a shockingly large cemetery a bell goes off. At least, he assumes it’s a bell. It’s so deep and loud that the feeling of hearing it is somewhat like being hit in the chest by a bat. He feels stuck in place while it chimes, but AImee seems completely unaffected. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shoot! There’s the schoolbell! I gotta get going, will you be able to find your way back?” She says, already backing up. When Philip nods she’s off like a shot, and he wonders what kind of trouble kids here get into if they’re late to class. Maybe she’s just a particularly punctual student. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now he’s alone, and he doesn’t know how to feel about that. He hadn’t thought about what he’d do once he was by himself… He starts to walk when movement from the cemetery catches his eye. He turns, expecting a gravedigger or something similar, so what he actually sees blindsides him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s unmistakably him, standing next to an open grave, with a smile that stretches his face uncomfortably wide and doesn’t give off an ounce of happiness. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>me, thinking: is the second chapter too early for a cliffhanger.....? no, never!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>not another htf fanfic........yes another one yes another horror one. no i will not be nice to any characters in this one either &gt;:)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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